The art of throwing a theme party

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

To throw a private party successfully requires not only good organizing prowess but also flair to create the desired ambience through essential elements like good food, impeccable table setting and interior decoration, seating arrangement and well- chosen guests to ensure pleasant conversation.

With proper planning you can ensure that the party you host will be an unforgettable moment for your guests.

For a themed party, the host can decide a matching theme to celebrate specific events, like Chinese New Year, Indian celebration Deepavali or Halloween. Alternatively the host can pick an era in the past as a theme to commemorate, such as Independence Day or a historical era, or may choose a theme inspired by a movie, a country (Arabian nights), fairy tale (Snow White), colors (black and white) or nature.

"The options for the theme are endless but to make it easier, choose a theme that enables guests to choose their own costumes," said Wendy Lewis, a practitioner specializing in themed parties during an event organized by Dewi women's magazine and Mandiri Prioritas.

It is also advisable, she explained, to incorporate a little description or history about the era of the theme and the dress code in the specially designed, matching themed invitations, to give guests a clue about the event and what to wear.

To make the guests blend nicely with the theme, restaurant franchise holder and private party organizer Dian Purba also said that the host could provide guests with themed accessories, like a mask, a beaded necklace or a fan, for example.

Regardless of the theme, a private party can be held as a standing party when inviting a crowd or a sit-down event when expecting a limited number of guests.

And, like planning the list of guests to ensure good conversation, seating them in a small party also requires tact and the host should have a clear picture in her mind beforehand of how she is going to seat guests, especially the guest of honor, at the dining table.

For a small, sit-down party, culinary expert William Wongso advised the host to give the guest of honor a strategic location from where he or she can easily converse with the others.

"A standing party enables the guest of honor to mingle easily with the other guests, but for a sit-down party with several tables reserved, the host needs to set aside a seat at every table so that the guest of honor can interact with the other guests during each course," William said.

Only after deciding the kind of party he or she would give, based on the number of the guests, can the host/hostess design a menu suitable for the event.

"'Difficult food' is not suitable for a standing party. Instead, the host can serve light Japanese dishes, like sushi or simple Western food, ideally already served on individual serving dishes," he said.

Even though a buffet meal is more practical as guests can help themselves to food, William explained that having the dish served in individual dishes would not leave some "guestsover" (leftovers) that may ruin their appetite.

For the dishes, it is possible to serve a set menu, consisting of both local and western dishes, as long as each of the dishes goes nicely with the others, but for a theme party, Wendy said, choose the ones that match the theme.

A crisp, white tablecloth, with patterned or neutral-shade China plates, plus a well-laid dinning table are suitable for any party but Dian stressed the importance of food presentation. "It's the food in the dish that should be the focus of attention, not the plates," she said.

Decorating the venue is important, to create a pleasant ambience, but William warned against overdoing it, especially if you hold the party in your own home.

"Guests usually want to know more about the host's lifestyle and personality, which is communicated through the interior of their house," he said.

The success of a party also involves choosing the right date to make sure that the guests are able to attend.

Dian gave advice to avoid holding a party on a long weekend or school holidays as most people would be off for a vacation, or the fasting period ahead of Idul Fitri, during which people would usually like to spend time with other family members, or around international holidays like New Year because your guests might be invited to several celebrations and are no longer willing to attend yet another party.

And to be sure of the number of people who will attend the party, the speakers remind the host/hostess to print RSVP (repondez s'il vous plait, French words that mean "please reply") on the invitation so that guests will inform the host whether or not they can make it.

Here is a list of things to remember when hosting a private party: * The number of guests, the venue and the decoration should be determined based on the budget. * Allocate an additional 5 percent to 10 percent to the budget for unexpected expenses. * Make a list of activities that can be completed three months, one month and one week ahead of the party. * Choose the type of party based on the number of guests. It is advisable to seat guest of honor next to or near the hosts and to seat male guests next to female ones. * Decide the venue beforehand: Whether it is going to be held at a restaurant or a hotel, for example, and ensure easy access and sufficient parking space in and around the venue. If holding it at your own home, such as the living room or family room, make sure there is an easy route from the entrance to the venue. * Choose the theme of the party and decide the decor, design of invitation cards, table setting, menu and music, to maintain theme consistency. When using outside catering, make sure you do a little survey and food tasting before deciding on the menu. * Specify the dress code for the event on the invitation card and include a contact person and a phone number to reach for RSVP. As this method is not yet popular in Indonesia, it is advisable to contact guests to confirm their arrival. * Make sure guests receive the invitation three or four weeks prior to the event itself. * Never invite guests by using cell phone short messages (SMSs) as they can easily be forwarded, enabling "uninvited" people to join the party. To avoid this problem, the host can specify (on the written invitations) that guests should bring the invitation with them. * Don't forget to send a thank you letter, a few days after the party, to give the guests a good, friendly impression.